Lamp assembly



Jan. 17, 1956 R. l.. CALLARD LAMP ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 10

INIENTOR. /offr Golm/ep BY Z Z ATTORNEY.

Robert L. Caiiard, Painted Post, N. Y., assignor to Corning Glass Works, Corning, N. Y., a corperation of New 'iferit Application September 10, 1951, Seriai No. 245,797

2 ciaims. (ci. 24e-s1) The present invention relates to lamp assemblies of the torchere type and is particularly concerned with the provision of improved facilities for dependably securing the glass shade of such an assembly to the remainder thereof.

In one form of such assembly in general use the glass shade or bowl rests on the rim of the horn or husk attached to the upper end of the lamp standard and housing the lamp socket. The shade or bowl is held in place on the horn rim by an outwardly flanged tubular member, the tubular portion of which passes through an aperture in the center of the shade and surrounds and engages the lamp socket. The flange of such tubular member has an axially oi-set annular peripheral portion for engagement with the top surface of the portion of the shade immediately surrounding the aperture therethrough and an adjoining cylindrical portion of the approximate diameter of the shade aperture which serves to approximately center the shade with respect to the horn.

Economical methods of glass lamp-shade manufacture require that considerable tolerance be permitted in the shade aperture diameter. For this reason there is usually considerable clearance between the aperture wall and the cylindrical portion of the tubular member flange. As a consequence, in transfer of the lamp assembly from one location to another, lateral movement of the shade to various off-center positions is likely to occur. Such movements, moreover, tend to promote axial movement of the tubular member and to thus reduce the holding action of its flange on the shade.

The object of the present invention is to provide an improved tubular member which is designed to substantially eliminate the disadvantages of the above-described arrangement. 1n accordance with the invention, I provide a torchere shade preferably having a downwardly depending lip surrounding its central aperture and a tubular member having a ange provided with means for firmly engaging such lip and thereby tightly clamping the shade to the flange after the shade has been properly centered with respect to the tubular member so that, when the shade with such member clamped thereto is brought to rest on the horn rim with the tubular member in frictional engagement with the lamp socket, an assembly is obtained wherein lateral shifting of the shade with respect to the other parts of the assembly and any resulting further loosening movements are positively prevented.

Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawing is a side elevation, partly in section, of a lamp assembly embodying the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the anged tubular member of such assembly.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the lamp assembly comprises the usual vertical standard 11 mounted on a base 12 and provided at its upper end with a suitable lamp socket 13. Surrounding such lamp socket and fastened to standard 11 Yis a horn or husk 14, which is adapted not only to provide a decorative cover for such socket, but also to provide support for the centrally apertured glass shade or bowl 15. Shade 15 is centered with respect to horn 14 by the tubular member 16, which is provided at one end with a iiange 17 having a cylindrical portion 18 adapted to occupy the shade aperture and a peripheral nited States Patent Q F 2,731,547' Patented Jan. 17, 1956 annular portion 19 off-set with respect to the remainder of the ilange. At its other end tubular member 16 has a number of resiliently shaped ears or tabs 21 adapted to fxictionally engage the lamp socket 13.

in accordance with my invention, liange 17 is provided with a plurality of tabs 20 which are adapted to be crimped against the portion of the shade l5 bordering its aperture and thus to clamp the shade firmly to the flange. Advantageously, glass shade 15 is provided with a bead or lip 15 surrounding its aperture so that the tabs 20 can be crimped about such bead as shown in Fig. 1 and thus tightly clamp the shade in place with respect to flange 17.

The diameter of cylindrical portion 1S of the flange 17 is made as close to that of the aperture in shade 15 as manufacturing tolerances permit, and peripheral annular portion 19 is axially o-set a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the beaded portion of the shade surrounding the aperture therein. Annular portion 19 thus serves to seat the shade with respect to tubular member 16. Tabs 20 are desirably formed integrally with ilange 17 by being cut out therefrom.

With the present arrangement, as will be readily apparent, there can then be no relative movement between the shade 15 and tubular member 16, so that the shade remains permanently centered with respect to the lamp assembly, and any tendency of the lamp shade to become loose in this regard during service is thereby eliminated. The present construction, moreover, is far more sturdy than any prior shade-holding arrangement of this type, not only in appearance, but above all in actual use.

What is claimed is:

l. In combination with a lamp standard equipped with a lamp socket and a shade support surrounding such socket, a lamp shade resting on said support and having an aperture therethrough and a bead surrounding said aperture, and a tubular member having at one end tabs tensioned for resilient frictional engagement of said socket and having at the other end an outwardly extending llange, the peripheral annular portion of said flange being axially olf-set with respect to the remainder thereof a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the bead on the shade and comprising a seat engageable by that portion of the shade immediately bordering its aperture, and tabs integral with the ange and crimped about the bead to tightly clamp the shade to the ange.

2. In a lamp xture assembly, a base, a standard upstanding from said base, a horn xed to and extending upwardly and outwardly from the upper end of said standard, a lamp shade resting on said horn and having a circular aperture therethrough with its axis in Vertical alignment with the axis of said standard, said shade having a bead integral therewith bordering said aperture, a lamp socket carried by said standard and arranged within said horn cavity, and a device for holding said shade in seating relation with respect to said horn, said device comprising a tubular member surrounding said socket and having at one end tabs for resilient frictional engagement thereof, said member at its other end having a flange that extends to the shade aperture border thence through the aperture and further laterally outward to provide a shade hold-down seat, and tabs integral with the ange and crimped about the bead to nx the shade with respect to said member.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 13,322 Cruikshank Nov. 28, 1911 924,289 Spencer lune 8, 1909 991,762 Tregoning May 9, 1911 1,150,391 Sanford Aug. 17, 1915 1,778,855 Hine et al. Oct. 21, 1930 

